Vacation...want it, need it, have to have it.

I will be taking a short sabbatical from the blogging community and the commuting community.

Happy days! To return October 7.

Lash out, lash up...lash it.

I always used Clinique Glossy Mascara. Always. Then, somehow, I converted into a drugstore mascara buyer.

I'm a sucker for the mile-long lash.

With Define-a-lash by Maybelline, you must work fast. Application must be done while lashes are still wet, so if you apply a second coat it must be immediately, otherwise, lashes look spidery.
There are two formulas. One for lengthening, the other for thickening. Both are great, but take some practice. The wands are flexible rubber and require a steady hand. But the results...so worth it. People ask if my lashes are my own regularly. That's how long they look.

Can't beat the price, $7. Can't beat the results. http://www.drugstore.com/.
photo courtesy of drugstore.com

Fact and friction.

I write a lot about lip products. I guess that's because I buy a lot of lip products.

You got your day balms, you got your night balms, you got your glosses, you got your lipsticks, you got your liners.

SPF? Certainly. Pots? But of course. Wands with sponge tips? For sure. Wands with brushes on the end? Sometimes. Oozing tubes? You bet!

But what of your lip exfoliants??

I get a dry bottom lip from time to time and normally I brush it with my tooth brush. But not since I got FRXition Sugar Lip Exfoliator and Soothing Balm from Tarte. On one side of the stick is a sandy textured balm that is sugar mixed with delicious vanilla and on the other side is just the delicious balm. SO, you apply the balmy side first, then scrub a little with the sandy side. Any grains of sugar you can happily ingest.

The best part of this product (besides the price tag of $11) is the ingenious little mirror that flips open when you remove the cap. It's very Inspector Gadget.

I like it a lot and you will too. You may find this at http://www.sephora.com/.

Photo courtesy of sephora.com

The pits.

Mama J. says get rid of your deodorant if it has aluminum in it.

I check the label on my Lady Mitchum Clear Gel (which supposedly doesn't leave white residue on your clothes (not true)) and the first ingredient is aluminum.




J. (not to be confused with Mama J.) comes to visit and shows me her new deodorant from Weleda in the Citrus fragrance. And says, "This really works!"


I go to Whole Foods and discover that Weleda makes their natural deodorant in three fragrances: wild rose, sage and the aforementioned citrus.

I buy the sage fragrance which smells like a mix between a gin and tonic and a field of fresh lavender. M. really likes it. It's fresh (& exciting.)

The instructions say that you may apply as needed throughout the day, as it is all natural.
And rather than an antiperspirant it is a deodorant. Apparently antiperspirant has the aluminum in it to stop the natural function called perspiration.

I started using antiperspirant before I needed to because I wanted to use the pink Tickle roll on that was so popular. I've had dry underarms for so long I'm not sure if I remember what sweating feels like.

Time to find out. So far I love the fragrance upon application and at the end of the day. I like reapplying it, too. The glass bottle is kinda special and it smells so good.

Do your armpits a favor (and inconclusively, your lymph nodes and brain) and pick up a bottle of this uber-natch deodorant. I paid $10.99 at Whole Foods. But it is available at http://www.weleda.com/. Image courtesy of Weleda.

Block it!

There are a few things I can't stand. One is visible Band-Aids anywhere on a woman's foot, or worse, the adhesive from an old Band-Aid that says "Hey, a Band-Aid was here but I couldn't get this gross black adhesive mark off."



Why do women wear shoes that hurt and apply bandages to their feet in order to continue wearing shoes that hurt? If a shoe is uncomfortable--don't buy it.

My feet get used to sandal season. They say "Don't fence me in."

So when the weather starts to change and I want to wear my silver Prada flats while at work, I am nice to my feet in the following ways:

1. Moisturize. Before leaving the house I lotion my feet and legs.
2. Wear comfortable shoes for walking to work.
3. Pack the shoes I wish to wear to work.
4. Band-Aid Blister Block.

Blister Block is a non-sticky, non-greasy lubricant that you apply to your heels or any other spot on your foot that might rub. It's an easy to apply roll up stick, kind of like a very small deodorant. An added bonus: it smells really nice and lightly botanical.

To obtain a stick of this miracle stuff, just go to http://www.medshopexpress.com/ and fork over the $6.97. Your feet will thank you. Photo courtesy of medshopexpress.com.

My cup of tea.

Nary a day goes by that I don't examine or research fine things. Not just for the love of writing about it (or writing in general) but for the love of knowing about it.

Being in the know has such a potent appeal for me that I have become like a hawk scanning for it's prey. (A nice hawk, who just wants to get to know it's prey and try it on for size, fragrance, luxuriousness, etc.)

I am not about fancy. I am about quality, beauty, feel, appeal and timelessness. I am enamored of longevity. Things that last and get handed down from mother to daughter or son--design so good, it remains a classic and becomes au courant in cycles.

I subscribe to the Hermes emailing, not because I buy Hermes scarves regularly, but because I love them. I do own a few and I do wear them. Which brings me to the point I am interested in making.

Fine things are meant to be worn. Fine things are meant to be used. They are made to last, made to be worn, adored and used. I am not afraid to wear, use and adore fine things.

Which brings me to our new teapot. We received the Tiffany Weave Irish Parian Bone China teapot from M.'s aunt and uncle. It is so beautiful I can't stop looking at it. It is absolutely timeless and sturdy and elegant and gorgeous all at once. I have it set out with my Kate Spade cream and sugar. I can't get enough of the retroness of the cream and sugar with the classicness of the teapot. I am extremely fond of the teapot's pure whiteness combined with it's basket weave texture. The details are unrivaled, the design is flawless.

We will use it and adore it in good health for all of our days with the knowledge that someday our children will love it more than I do not just because it is beautiful but because I loved it and it was ours.

The Tiffany Weave Teapot retails for $175. Image courtesy of www.tiffany.com.

I heart my curling iron.

To quote Farmer Ted from the John Hughes film 16 Candles: "Very hot, very hot."

I need heat. My hair is thick, and now, down to my waist at it's longest. With so many, many choices when it comes to what to do with it, my favorite has become big, loose, waves.

It takes a bit of time but is worth it. It goes a little like this:

1. Wash hair the night before, part down the middle, comb out and sleep on it damp with Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream applied from root to tip. A little of this product goes a long way.
2. Wake up with an hour to get ready. Easier said than done.
3. Pin the top layer of hair up about midway from my ears to my part.
4. Curl bottom layer in sections starting from the center of the back of my head in spiral waves, curling away from my face.
5. Let down top pinned-up layer.
6. Curl in small, sections all throughout the crown starting from the back and working toward my face. Curling away from my face, not forward. Taking smaller pieces gives more definition to the waves on the top layer which is important, especially if hair is highlighted. I pull out the lighter strands and then they really stand out when curled.
7. Let curls set without pulling through for about 10 minutes.

I like this style as it loosens throughout the day. I really like it the following day when I just touch up some of the top layer. Easy, and really pretty.

To purchase a curling iron of this magnitude (it's really hot, up to 428 degrees) you can go to http://www.beautybasicsupply.com/. The size you're looking for is the 1 1/4" barrel. The retail price is $25.

Can we be living with a nose made of paper mache?

When M. gets the inevitable spot on one of his shirts or a rip in his pants, I get sad.

I try not to get sad, but I do. I now feel that his clothes are my clothes, so I react in kind. I'm really working on it though, because my reaction affects him so much. And we can always get another pair of pants, right?

When we first met, his entire wardrobe was business casual--every day. No weekend clothes, no sneakers, no shorts, no hats, no sunglasses--just long sleeved button up shirts and pleated slacks with work shoes--on Saturday, in the dead of summer.

I'm married to a man that spends practically no money on himself. He occasionally buys books, but never, and I repeat, never a stitch of clothing. (I did convince him to buy a pair of classic, blue, lace-up Vans which he wore into oblivion and he did buy his wedding suit...okay, never say never.)

He's such a perfect person to dress, in that he really has great proportions and height and he will wear whatever I buy for him. (Plus, he is so cute and has no ego when it comes to how he looks.)

So I started buying for him and along with buying for him I started pampering him: manicures, pedicures, facials and massages all given by me. He loves it.

But perhaps he doesn't love being under the microscope that is my eye. I notice every speck, every fray, every stray hair and I take care of those things too. Which is why I am now going to rave about Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips, $6.99 at http://www.walgreens.com/. I have been using them on M. for about a month, once per week and they really work! Just wash your face, leave your nose extra wet and apply the strip. Let it dry to the consistency of paper mache and then, let 'er rip. Carefully, of course.
Then marvel at your smooth, poreless nose.

M. is a well groomed man and he has beautiful skin, now, even more so!

What a sweetie.

Gams that gleam.

Today I am wearing my olive-ish Vanessa Bruno Athe long sleeve t-shirt with the gold lurex trim at the cuffs, deep, round neckline and waistband. I am wearing it with my olive-ish, striped, seersucker skirt from JCrew and my worth-their-weight-in-gold Banglez sandals by Steve Madden (see my previous post entitled Last Splash?!-- I can't stop wearing them--every day!!)

I am wearing my bezel set diamond earrings set in yellow gold (from mama J.) I am even wearing a little bit of MAC eyeshadow in Goldmine in the outer corners of my eyes.

To make the outfit a little less precious, I put my hair in a loose bun.

I am carrying my brown Mulberry satchel which is great for toting my delicious, healthy lunch.

Choosing a work outfit is an organic process for me (read: rushed.) I usually give myself about 35-40 minutes to get ready in the morning (not coincidentally the approximate play time of the Vampire Weekend CD.) Which I know is not enough time, but that's how I do. I like to sleep in.


It rained cats and dogs on my way to work and my umbrella broke in the wind.
But did I care? Somewhat, but not that much, because I felt a bit glam.

Drown-rat glam.

If you have the right bag, shoes and jewels a torrential downpour is a minor set back.

But I suppose the real reason I chose to shine today (when the sun wasn't) is because I slathered my legs with Nivea cream and then applied Glam Gams Leg Bronzing Stick by Tarte.

I love this stuff. It totally evens out skin tone on the legs and is easy to get right. It's color is subtle. It has a bit of shimmer but nothing too...shimmery.

It's application is inspired by Tarte's first product, the infamous and great, push-up cheek stain.

The ease of application is key for me. I don't want streaks, and that's why I apply lotion immediately prior to the application of the bronzing stick.

As a former sun worshipper, I hate self-tanners. I also am not a fan of the tanning bed. But Glam Gams is makeup for your legs. I used it on my wedding day. Fab!!

Glam Gams retails for $30 at Sephora, http://www.sephora.com/.

Photo: www.sephora.com

Ode

As it turns out, I'm feeling much better. The Labyrinthitis has slowly lessened. (I'm still debating the YSL Pur Gloss Black, though.)





I baked cookies Saturday on the new and beautiful cookie sheet and cooling rack my mom sent from our wedding registry.

When I accepted yet another package from the FedEx man on Friday, I immediately called my mom and said, "Why did you get us another wedding present?"
To which she responded "Why?"
To which I said, "I mean, thank you."
She then informed me that she would probably buy us everything left on the registry. She's good like that. It's her way.

She also buys me diamonds.

This woman is the reason I am shoe obsessed. She bought herself and me the same pair of white, Esprit huaraches when I was in 8th grade. Monica Todd, who wasn't even a friend of mine, asked to borrow them and because I wanted her to be my friend, I said yes. (A word from (the now) wise--don't let bow-legged cheerleaders in your English class borrow your favorite shoes. Chances are, they will be returned in not-so-good condition.)

My mother taught me to be very careful with my things. She taught me to iron the yolk of the collar first, then the back, then the sleeves, then the front and lastly the collar of a shirt.

These days mama J. buys a new handbag every month or so at the Buffalo. She then decides if I will like it or not and tells me, "You won't like it" or "I think you'll like this one, it's Michael Kors."

I remember intently watching her apply mascara to her ultra long lashes, coat after coat after mixing her black cake liner with the water from the bathroom sink and applying perfectly symmetrical Cleopatran wings to her lids. She started me on Clinique in Junior High. No drugstore stuff for us.

What I'm trying to say is...I didn't stand a chance of not becoming a lover of good, good things.

And today I pulled out my Givenchy Pop Gloss Crystal in Pop Fuchsia, which I bought almost two years ago and sort of forgot because when I got to the "bottom" of the tube, the applicator was too short to reach the remaining 1/4 inch of fantastic lip gloss. These things do not deter me. If there is product left in a tube, it will be had. So I used my sample applicator from Sephora to dig out the last of the goodness. And I remembered why I love it. It has the most wonderful consistency, almost like...pudding, smells lightly of roses and the color, lordy...it is fuchsia-licious.
But not in your face fuchsia. Just pretty. $23 at http://www.sephora.com/.

Pur Goth.

As clean-cut as I may appear, of course, I have a dark side.

I'm not talking corsets and latex but I can be dark. Especially in cool weather.

Upon my diagnosis with Labyrinthitis, an inner-ear disorder that affects one's equilibrium, my friend R. loved the name of my illness and claimed it to be very...Goth.

Seeing that looking at words on a computer screen makes me woozy, it will suffice to say that as a tribute to my Gothness, dizziness and the late, great Yves Saint Laurent I will consider ordering the limited edition Gloss Pur Black by YSL. This black lip gloss can be lightly applied or layered for a very dark, black lip as shown on the runways for fall. This product goes for $28 and is available while supplies last at select YSL counters nation wide.

Better bare, or at least bare-looking.

I've never worn liquid foundation. My mom never did either. We are more blush and mascara girls.







However, more recently, my skin has started to change. Hyper-pigmentation is the term for this change and for someone like me who hasn't had skin issues, it's a bit tough to take.

But I am still good to my skin. Better, for all intensive purposes, than ever before.

This is my daily face routine:

1. Wash with Purity cleanser by Philosophy (available at http://www.sephora.com/.)
2. Apply MMPi.20 Regenerating Serum by Dr. Wexler to face and neck (available at http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/.)
3. Apply Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Cream SPF 15 by Caudalie to forehead, cheeks and chin (available at http://www.sephora.com/.)
4. Apply SPF 15 Foundation by Bare Escentuals in Fairly Light (available at http://www.sephora.com/.) This is a powder foundation that you apply with a brush. I apply it to my forehead, under my eyes and on my upper cheeks.
5. Apply Luminizer by Stila to my forehead and under my eyes. (available at http://www.sephora.com/) This is a liquid brightener that has a reflective quality that works well over the powder, as the powder turns creamy on application.
6. Once or twice a week I use Sugar Face Polish by Fresh followed by all of the above. (See my previous post titled Aww, sugar.)

SPF 15 Foundation in Fairly Light by Bare Escentuals evens skin tone, doesn't sweat off and provides SP Factor, naturally. It's non drying and mixes with your moisturizer beautifully. It's $25 on it's own or you can get the starter kit for $60.

Je m'appelle Emily, je suis une Francophile.

What can I say? I love the French.

I love France. I love the language.




When I hear women speaking French on the streets of New York, I eavesdrop.

I am also a big fan of the written word and the way words and letters look together.

Don't get me started on etymology.

In my daytime life (read: work life) I am surrounded by home decor. At home I am surrounded by home decor.

And I feel there is something to be said for the statement pillow, puns intended.

I resist the urge to put more than one pillow on a sofa because it becomes more special alone.

I love how this pillow has a lower case i and that it has cute little ties on the back.

But really, this would be purrrfect for our bedroom. It would go so well with the gray finish on our slatted, raw oak platform bed. And oh so well with the neutral, textural bedding I hope to wrangle fairly soon. (Our bedroom is the size of a matchbox, so decorating is often put off in there.) But this pillow could get me started, don't you see?

This adorable pillow is available for purchase for $62 at http://www.atsuyoetakiko.com/. This is a Brooklyn based company and they have reallllly cute Je t'aime Brooklyn tees and totes.

Presents!!!